One more poll: Obama on a roll

President Obama enjoys a 51-43 percent lead over Mitt Romney among likely voters in a new Pew Research Center poll, done with a considerably larger voter sampling than other surveys.

The Pew poll comes on the heels of a NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll that puts Obama ahead by a 50-45 percent margin among likely voters, with a slightly larger six-point lead among registered voters.

Andrew Kohut, Pew president, said: “At this stage in the campaign, Barack Obama is in a strong position compares with past victorious presidential candidates. Obama holds a bigger September lead than the last three candidates who went on to win in November, including Obama four years ago.”

President Obama on a Puget Sound visit

One key Pew finding: Obama has a stronger hold on his voters.

Among the President’s supporters, 74 percent said that they are voting for Obama, and 22 percent against Romney. With Romney voters, however, just 45 percent responded that they are voting for the former Massachusetts governor. Fifty-two percent are voting against Obama.

Sixty-eight percent of Obama backers said they “strongly” support his candidacy, compared to 56 percent who “strongly” support Romney.

Pew surveyed more than 3,000 American adults, including 2,424 registered voters, between Sept. 12 and 16.

The poll was taken before Monday’s leaked tape in which Romney, at a $50,000 a head Florida fundraiser, talked about 47 percent of Americans as “dependent on government” and who “believe they are victims”, adding: “My job is not to worry about those people.”